


painful love and opened wounds

by Broken_arrow32



Category: DC Comics, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Birdflash - Freeform, Death, Love, Murder, Romance, dccomics - Freeform, dickgraysonangst, exfriends, fight, genderbentdickgrayson, wallywestxdickgrayson, youngjustice - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22030939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_arrow32/pseuds/Broken_arrow32
Summary: Staring a genderbend Dick Grayson,This story follows the idea of if Artemis actually did die. Wally blames her death on Nightwing and their relationship goes downhill until Wally realizes how much he hurt his childhood friend and all he's done and knows he has to make things right. Will Wally mend his relationship with Dick, or will they be former friends for the rest of time? Read to find out.I do not own any characters used or anything else. All I own is the actual book itself.This story was inspired by another birdflash book called "work through the pain" by @SotheBalanceShifts which I would highly recommend!
Relationships: Birdflash
Kudos: 26





	1. Losing hurts.

"Farewell. Say hi to the devil for me." A mysterious voice whispered as the blonde Archer known as Artemis received painful serrated steal as it pierced her side.  
The blonde gasped, her breath hitching, and fell back as the young vigilante known as Nightwing rushed forward to catch her friend.  
The bloodied body fell into Nightwing's arms and the Raven-haired girl slowly lowered it closer to the ground, resting it in her lap.

"Hey hey hey. It's ok. Your gonna be ok. Breathe. Just breathe for me, ok? Can you do that for me?" Nightwing muttered, her voice shaking with each word she spoke. 

"Dick... I-I'm n-not go-gonna.... Make it. We both... Know that." Artemis choked out between coughs as tears filled the younger ebonies eyes. 

"N-n-no don't.. Don't say that.. Your gonna be ok. Your gonna..... Oh god.... I'm so sorry Artemis...." That was it. She couldn't stop her self. She was Rachel Grayson, daughter of famed billionaire Bruce Wayne, Nightwing, vigilante partner of Gotham city's hero batman and she couldn't stop the tears from falling as she watched the life slowly and agonizingly leave the body of the girl who fell in love with her best friend and became a sisterly figure. It started as one. One single tear. But they kept coming and she couldn't stop. So there she sat. Rachel Grayson, In that ridiculous uniform, sobbing over the mess she created. 

"Tell... Tell Wally. Tell ....him ....I know....he loved you. You two.... Would've made the..... Per-fect ... Couple....tell him what .....happened ....to me." Artemis coughed. 

"God.... No no no no no no.... This is all my fault..... God I'm so sorry... Fuck.... I just... Mess everything up.... I brought you into this and I'm gonna get you out of it.... Just say with me... Please. I'm...... I...... Please...... I'm so ..... So. .... Sorry....." Nightwing lent over the body and sobbed as Artemis took her last breath. The last time she cried this hard was at her little brother, Jason's, funeral earlier that year. She was only seventeen going on eighteen come December and she already lost so much. She lost her parents, her little brother, her childhood home, she messed up bad and Wally basically sort of hated her now, and now she lost Artemis. 

"Why... Does... The universe... Hate me....?" Nightwing sobbed into the lifeless bodies chest. Conner and Mg'han showed up, took one look at the scene in front of them, and knew nothing would ever be the same. Not now, not ever. They slowly walked over and helped lift Artemis into the bio ship to get back to the mountain. Everyone took their normal seats except for Nightwing. She made her way to the very back of the ship and sat alone in a chair, separated from the rest of the group. The whole flight back to happy harbor was entirely silent until Mg'han spoke up. 

"Me and Conner will take the responsibility of telling the rest of the team, but, Dick I think you should be the one to tell Wally." Mg'han said quietly. Nightwing nodded and took a deep breath. 

"When we get back to base. It'll be easier to tell him in person. But someone needs to tell Oliver and Roy." Nightwing muttered shakily. 

"I'll talk to Wally about that and see what we can do." Mg'han said. The rest of the flight was silent. No one spoke, but Grieved in silence. Mg'han could feel the guilt and sense of fault radiating off the youngest member of the original team in waves, but chose not to say anything. By now she knew it was best to just let the young Bird grieve rather than risk making things worse. Wally was the only one who was ever able to comfort Dick without risking an out-lash of anger from the small ebony. They landed and Dick Shakily got up from her seat, whipped her tears, composed herself, and swiftly walked toward the exit. The minuet her feet hit the floor the younger team members, including her baby brother Tim, ran up to her. Tim went to ask her what happened because he noticed something wasn't quite right with his sister, But Dick cut him off. 

"Mg'han and Conner will tell you what happened. Right now I need to find Wally. Where is he?" Dick asked in a short, cut and blunt tone that said her words would not be questioned or bargained against. Tim tried protesting. 

"But-" 

"Not now, Robin. Where is Wally?" Dick repeated impatiently, cutting her brother off. 

"In the seating room in the hall of justice." Tim sighed defeatedly. Dick thanked him and went to the Zeta tubes. 

Wally stood patiently in the room in the hall, picking silently at a loose thread in his jean pocket and turned to face the Zeta tubes when he heard them fire up. 

"Recognized, Nightwing, B-0-1" 

"Jeez. Sometimes That deadpanned voice reminds me of batman..." Wally thought silently as he watched the vigilante dressed in black enter the room and take Her mask off. 

"Wally." Nightwing greeted with a tight smile. 

"Dick." Wally returned, copying the ebonies smile. 


	2. unexpected fights.

"how'd the mission go?" Wally asked, keeping the tension in the air.  


"wheres Artemis?"  


Dick froze and went pale. Wally instantly knew something was wrong.  


"Dick? where is Artemis?" Wally repeated, this time a little more demanding. the younger swallowed thickly and fiddled with her black and white domino mask, thinking carefully about how to word her response.  


"someone.... someone killed Artemis... i'm sorry..." Dick responded slowly and quietly, her voice shaking along with her whole body. Wally froze and paled for a few minuets before his expression contorted to one of anger.  


"what?"  


"don't make me repeat it, Wally..." the younger whispered.  


"its hard for me to believe too."  


Wally grabbed Dick harshly by the shoulders.  


"and just where were you when my girlfriend was being killed, huh?" Wally seethed. Dick was scared and didn't know how to respond, so she kept her mouth shut and focused her gaze on the floor, afraid to meet the speedsters eyes.  


"where the hell where you, Nightwing?!" the redhead snapped. Dick winced and bit her lip. she thought this man was her best friend but the way he'd said her name made her start to have a change of mind. he'd said it with such distain. such hatred. Dick could almost feel her heart break the moment she heard the redhead say it.  


"i-i-i was fighting off some of deathstrokes men. i didn't notice what was going on and couldn't get to her in time." Dick whimpered, a prickling sensation forming in her midnight sky blue eyes. the young ravenette recieved daggers being glared at her from whom she'd thought to be her best friend before being roughly shoved backward into a chair.  


Dick didn't know what else to do so she curled up into a ball and sobbed silently in the chair as Wally walked away and stormed out of the room, leaving his former friend in his wake, brushing past a very shocked trio of people. Tim instantly ran up to his sisters side, Conner and Mg'han following close behind. after about an hour or two Dick had calmed down a little bit, packed what she needed, and slipped home to Gotham, hiding in her room.  
around 2:30 Dick heard a soft knock on her bedroom door and backed further into the corner of her walk-in closet.  


"hey, Dick? you in here pal?" an all too familiar voice called out. the visitor moved closer toward the closet when he heard the soft sniffles.  


"...Roy...?" Dick questioned quietly with a sniff.  


"yeah, it's me. i came as soon as i heard what happened at the hall. I-are you in the closet?" Roy responded.  


"....yes." Dick answered.  


"not judging, pal, but what're you doing in the closet?" Roy asked.  


"mostly crying. a little drinking. probably equally crying and drinking...." Dick answered, slightly cutting off into quiet sobbs.  


"something i do often, too. i'm coming in the closet, ok?"  


Roy swiftly stood up and slowly opened the closet door, stepping in and closing the door behind him.  


"hey... you ok?" Roy asked sofly, receiving an offended look from the small clad black-haired body that said "are you kidding me?"  


"i'm sitting on the floor in the corner of my closet drinking Chardonnay out of a sippy-cup, so i guess not!" Dick stated, an offended tone in her voice.  


"right, sorry. i retract the question." Roy apologized.  


"aren't you only seventeen, though?" Roy questioned.  


"oh, you're one to talk! besides, does it look like i care?" Dick snapped.  


"right. yeah. wanna talk about it?"  


Dick deadpanned Roy.  


"are you serious? like you actually want to hear the story all over again." Dick muttered, taking a sip of the Chardonnay from the sippy-cup in her hand.  


"fair point. just tryna help. whatever. i think we just need to take your mind off what happened." the redhead suggested, receiving a nod of agreement from the seventeen-year-old. the two spent the rest of the evening watching movies and eating popcorn, Roy finishing off the Chardonnay in an attempt to keep the younger vigilante from getting drunk underaged. by the end of the night Dick was smiling and laughing like new all over again. she'd forgotten all about Wally and couldn't care to do anything otherwise about him. right now, her focus was on forgetting her evening and having a good time with someone who'd been like a brother to her. if only she'd been prepared for the next few months.


	3. aftershock and reopened wounds.

"alright, guys. I got some inside sources and figured out where Slade's next target will be. Batgirl, Robin, Miss Martian and Aqualad, i'm sending you in on this matter. keep in mind this is strictly covert. a recon mission. observe and, report nothing more. and keep the report part in mind as that is something i expect when you return." Nightwing ordered in a short, curt and cut tone, same as she'd done in the past five months. today was no different than the past five months worth, so why should she be different? Nightwing had turned to leave and return to her room, but her actions and intents where interupted by a certain speedster.  


"you sure you want to send them on this mission, former 'boy' blunder?" Wally said, sarcasm heavy in his voice.  


"they might be getting put on deathrow. i mean you could possibly be getting them killed. then again, that's nothing new. is it?" Wally seethed, layering the sarcasm. that was it. that's what made Dick snap. before he knew it, Wally had three batarangs aimed for his head, all three having been thrown by Dick's hand. wally quickly sped out of the way, dodging the batarangs swiftly. he knew all to well how Dick threw sharp objects and knew exactly how, where and when to move.  


"but don't worry about that. brains aren't everything. in fact, in your case, their nothing. but keep talking and giving orders. maybe then one day you'll actually say something intelligent." Wally insulted, a small smirk on his face. Nightwing walked up to the redhead, stood at her full hight, and sent Wally to the floor with a hard punch across the face. within minuets the two former friends got into an all out fist fight. the team, particularly the original members, were in shock. how had they reduced to this? five years ago when they were young, reckless, careless teenagers they'd had the relationship people envied. people looked up to them and their relationship, idolized it even. and now look at them. how in gods name had it come to this? ever since Dick became Nightwing it seemed like nothing could ever go right. everything had started to seem wrong ever since she took over leading the team. she'd certainly messed up in her life before, but this was byfar the worst. the fight went on for what seemed like ever until Dick had finally gotten Wally pinned, one batarang against his throat, and the other clutched in Nightwings raised fist, ready to strike. and judging by the loathsome distainful hate-filled expression on the younger vigilante's face, the strike would be to kill. Wally scoffed.  


"look at us. we used to be best friends. i wish i could say i missed hanging out with you, but then id be lying." Wally growled.  


"your right about brains not being everything. i can't believe i was ever stupid enough to fall for your lies and believe you actually cared about me. don't call me, don't text me, don't come after or follow me, and don't ever show up at my doorstep. i want nothing to do with you anymore, west." Nightwing snapped. Nightwing swiftly got off of Wally, put her batarangs away, and retreated to her room. Wally's expression went from angered to shocking realization as what just happened finally clicked in. Wally took a step forward to go after Dick but was held back by the rest of the team, all members having looks that said "give her time. what happened happened and you cant change it". wally went and sat down on the couch for a minuet, processing all the things that just happened. what had he done? and a more important question, how was he going to make it right? and when?  


within two hours Dick had packed her things and was on her way to her apartment in bludhaven. she needed to be alone and in her own house for once. right now, being around people was out of the question and something Dick just couldn't handle. no matter how shitty her apartment could get sometimes, right now was one of the times she'd take it over anywhere else.  
Wally looked everywhere for Dick. he needed to apologize. if he didn't he knew now that the past five months could be the perminent end of something that could've been beautiful. Wally had to admit, he felt something for the young ravanette vigilante. something he hadn't even felt for Artemis. he didn't know what the feeling was or how to describe it, he just knew it was there.  


months had gone by and Wally had searched left and right, up and down, and looked in every knook and cranny in Gotham trying to find Nightwing, only to come up empty handed every time. that was until he accidentally looked somewhere he never even thought of checking. he was sitting in his own apartment in Central City watching TV and had it quietly playing on the local news channel as he messed around on his phone. everything was perfectly fine and normal until the name of the vigilante he'd spent weeks looking for met his ears and he nearly dropped his phone. he instantly grabbed the remote sitting on the coffee table in front of him and turned the volume on the TV up, listening to the report. Nightwing had suddenly dissapeared out of nowhere. she wasn't showing up and stopping crime, wasn't working with the police, or anything. like she just suddenly dissapeared off the face of the earth. Wally instantly got up, bolted to the front door, shrugging his coat on, and set off for Bludhaven. if something happened to Dick he had to find out what. wether his former friend wanted to see him or not he needed to know if she was ok. whatever happened, Wally was going to get to the bottom of it. 


	4. home is where you want it to be.

Dick was lying in her bed in her apartment pre-consciously staring at the clock, thinking about the night she left Mnt. Justice and debating wether or not she should get back into action as Nightwing and continue stopping crime, considering she did love being a vigilante, or stick with working on becoming a detective at the police station. Dick had been so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear a knock at her door. she let out a near feral growl, reluctantly crawled out of bed, and walked down the small hallway to answer the calling. she opened the door, ready to snap at whoever showed up at her door at 11:30 at night, but her jaw dropped with wide eyes and she nearly fell to the floor when she saw who was on the other side of the frame. her expression swiftly changed to anger as she narrowed her eyes at the person on the other side of the door, letting out a distainful growl.

"oh hell no." Dick snapped as she slammed the door in her visitors face. the vistor stuck their foot out, letting the door slam into it rather than the frame. 

"Dick please. i know you probably don't want to see me, but please let me in. i just want to talk." the Visitor pleaded. 

"the hell could you possibly want to talk to me about, West?" Dick growled. 

"you're right. i wasn't treating you right and i didn't give you the respect you deserve. i never should've treated you like that and i'm sorry. please.... let me inside...?" Wally admitted. Dick let out a long heavy sigh, and opened the door wide enough for Wally to step through. 

"hang on a minuet. i got some stuff i need to get done tonight anyway so i'm gonna quickly change. adjust to the place, make yourself at home, whatever. get comfortable i guess." Dick stated, gesturing toward the couch for Wally to go sit on, though the soft irritation in her voice did not go unnoticed by the ginger speedster. Dick stalked down the hallway and turned into her bedroom. Wally stayed in place and glanced around the apartment, taking in its apearance. it was a lot cleaner than his and a lot more organized as well. he'd have to clean his apartment at some point. to Wally's right there was a TV snuggled in between two bookshelves, both of which were full with different types of reading material, a coffee table a few feet in front of the TV with a couch behind it, and to his left was the kitchen, an island table seperating it from the right side of the room, a dinner table stuffed against the wall to the right of the kitchen island, and then directly to his left once he turned his head to the side was the hallway that lead down to the bathroom and Dick's bedroom. it was a nice and clean apartment, not bad at all by any means, but considering the amount of money her father-figure had, Wally was just surprised an apartment was where Dick had chosen to stay. that was in a batch of questions for later, though. Wally didn't want to overstep his boundaries and screw up worse than he already had. he'd never forgive himself for that. 

Wally continued glancing around the apartment until the sound of the bedroom door opening met his ears. he looked down and watched as Dick stepped out, pulling a long-sleeved turtleneck black shirt down over her head, paired with slim well-fitting blue jeans.. Wally's eyes couldn't help but trail down Dicks body as he took note of her toned stomach, noting that she stayed in shape. Dick noticed Wally's staring, raised an arched thin black brow, and shook her head softly, turning to walk into the kitchen, heading to the fridge. a slight blush crept across Wally's cheeks when he realized Dick noticed. Dick opened the fridge and bent over slightly to see the back of the fridge and such. 

"you want somethin' to drink?" Dick turned her head to face Wally. 

"what d'ya got?" Wally asked, walking over to stand in front of the island, his back facing toward the TV. 

"water, Iced tea, regular tea, juice, coffee, and half a bottle of Chardonnay but i usually save that for drinking and crying." Dick listed off, chuckling at the last option. 

"what kind of juice?" wally asked, raising a brow. 

"Grape and apple. you don't like either, you don't care to drink water, and you don't drink coffee or tea and i'm not giving you the chardonnay 'cause there's only half a bottle and that shit's expensive. so it looks like your getting iced tea. unless you want water?" Dick questioned, standing up straight and turning to look at the ginger behind her, folding her arms. Wally gave a soft chuckle and raised a brow. 

"what brand of iced tea is it?" Wally questioned in response. 

"fuck you're picky! it's the good host. i take it you want a glass?" Dick answered, noting wally's smile as she told him the brand. 

"hell yeah! where are the cups? i can get the glasses." Wally said. Dick pointed to a cupboard to Wally's right, telling him exactly what cupboard it was as he walked over while she grabbed the iced tea. Dick poured them both a glass, stuffed the jug back in the fridge, and led them both to the couch. 

"look. i'm sorry i showed up so unexpectedly like this. i didn't know if you'd answer my calls or even bother reading any texts from me. i know you most likely don't want me here and-" 

"how could you tell?" Dick asked sarcasticly, cutting the ginger off. 

"ok. i probably deserve that but-" 

"probably?" Dick retorted, keeping the sarcasm in her voice, cutting the speedster off again. 

"i'm sorry, ok!" Wally whimpered. 

"i kind of wish i could find it in me to accept your apology." Dick deadtoned. 

"i don't expect you to forgive me and i don't expect you to want to be friends with me. i just want you to know i'm sorry and i regret everything i ever did and said and you are one of the smartest people i've ever met. i'm sorry..." Wally pleaded, hanging his head. 

"Wally. do you even realize that you left bruises on my arm every time you gripped it? how badly you hurt me? i cried myself to sleep almost every night because of this. hell, when we had that fight in the hall the night i told you about Artemis, i hid in my closet drinking chardonnay out of a fucking sippy-cup, Wally! an apology doesn't make all that go away in one night. the memories stick and they aren't ones i want to keep, but there's nothing i can do about it. i don't know how to find it in me to forgive you knowing all that you put me through." Dick confessed as a look of horror painted the gingers face. 

"wait... i... i left bruises...?!" Wally said breathlessly. Dick let out a sigh of relief. in all honesty she was a little relieved that Wally didn't know that he was gripping the ebonies arm hard enough to leave bruises. Wally's head tilted and his eyes trailed down to Dick's forearms. Dick noticed, pulled up her sleeve and extended her arm out to let the redhead observe the physical damage he'd done. Wally winced when he saw the aftermath of the bruises. 

"god Dick i'm so sorry.... i was being dumb and was blinded by rage and didn't notice the damage i caused. i wish there was a way i could take this all back...." Wally said sympathetically, raising his hand to support Dick's extended limb. Dick retracted her arm and pulled her sleeve down swiftly. one thing caught Wally's attention though. fresh, old and healing, and long scarred cuts trailing up and down Dick's forearm. some older scars more faded than others. this worried Wally. he knew dick was never the mentally healthiest person out there and seriously struggled with self-confidence. up until their big fight Wally had been able to convince her to stop and keep Dick from cutting. he never even comprehended that her mental health would've dropped so low in the five months and such that they hadn't been on good terms. guilt instantly settled as a ball of steal in the pit of Wally's stomach as it washed over him. at one point the cutting had gotten so bad that Dick had almost killed herself from bloodloss. Dick had started getting better and things had finally started turning around and then Wally had to go and screw it all up. he didn't even know it was humanly possible to feel so much guilt. Dick could see the pained and guilty expression on the gingers face. at that her mood, poster and expression softened as she put a hand on Wally's shoulder. 

"hey. it's ok. i.....i forgive you, Wally. i can't forget everything you did, but i can forgive you. it's ok." Dick consoled. 

"no, Dick. it's not ok. you're cutting again. because of me. because i was stupid enough to not pay attention to what i was doing. don't defend me on this, i don't deserve it." Wally said. 

"no-Wally it's nothing! it's fine, don't worry about it! i stopped once, i can stop again!" Dick retaliated. 

"you said it yourself, Dick! Quiting it isn't easy!" Wally fired back. 

"i can stop for you!" Dick yelled. once Dick realized what she'd said, she turned away, taking her hand off of Wally's shoulder, suddenly finding the floor of her apartment exceedingly interesting. 

"Dick....?" 

"i.... i guess it h-hurt more because....b-because i.... i l-liked you......" Dick confessed, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears welling up in her eyes from falling, refusing to face the ginger beside her. Wally felt like he'd been stabbed in the chest. Dick liked him and he'd been treating her like shit the past couple of months. Wally didn't know if it was the right thing to do but he took a chance and softly kissed the small ebony on the cheek. Dick froze and her eyes shot open and went the size of christmas ornaments. did that really just happen? had she fallen asleep in her bed and really no one had shown up at her door? was she dreaming? Dick didn't know. she couldn't tell if this was real or fake. she slowly turned to face wally, the surprised expression still on her face. 

"sorry... you were... i... i wasn't sure what too... i-" Wally was cut off by a pair of soft plush lips being pressed against his own. Wally was quick to kiss Dick back, cupping her cheek with his hand. they broke apart for air and Dick chuckled, a small smile spreading across her face. Wally smiled and closed the gap between their lips once more, Dick kissing back with no hesitation. the kiss was soft and sweet, but passionate. the type of kiss that said "i'll love and care for you if you let me". eventually Wally fell backward on the couch, pulling Dick down overtop of him. if it weren't for their cursed need for air, the kiss would've lasted longer. 

"so. date me...?" Wally asked hesitantly. 

"like i even need to say yes." Dick responded. they layed like that for a few minuets until a clock on the wall went off, letting the new couple know that it was now midnight. 

"hm. that means it's December first now, right?" Wally asked. Dick checked her phone to make sure and nodded, giving a hum of confirmation. 

"well then, Happy birthday, babe." Wally said, pecking Dick on the lips. Dick chuckled softly. 

"thanks, Wallz." 

"wait. since your my girlfriend i'm obviously gonna call you babe, but does that mean i can still call you tweety bird?" Wally asked. 

"of course, babe. but only if i can still call you Zippy." Dick bargained. 

"done deal." Wally agreed. 

"but it's late. maybe we should head to bed?" Dick questioned. 

"unless you have stuff back in Central you need to do, i'm fine with you spending the night if you want to." Dick stated. 

"nah, i got nothing on tomorrow so. yeah i'm free to stay the night." Wally smiled. Wally could barely contain a giggle at the way Dick's face lit up with joy. 

"but what about the stuff you said you had to do?" 

"it can wait." Dick responded. 

"ok, fine. but. bedtime. you should get to bed." Wally stated, picking the younger up bridal style. 

"hey, hahaha. same goes for you, Wallman!" Dick laughed as she wrapped her arms around the speedsters neck. Dick burried her head in the crook of Wally's neck and the ginger carried her to the bedroom. the two crawled in underneath the black blankets and the younger almost instantly snuggled into the ginger, burrying her face in his chest as Wally wrapped his arms around the small ebony protectively. both fell asleep within minuets. this night would definitely be one to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohmygod. i apologize for any spelling errors and such. i originally wrote this book on wattpad, but my computer doesn't spell check on wattpad like it does for Ao3. i posted these chapters at three in the morning and couldn't be bothered to proofread or anything like that. ill go through the chapters at some point and proofread and edit them. until then, take it how it is. sorry hehehheeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh

**Author's Note:**

> hi! hope you enjoyed the story! if your interested in keeping up with me and the rest of my stories you can follow me on instagram @/shooting.broken.arrows! don't forget to check out some of my other stories as well if your interested!


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